Palestinian Prisoners and their Names for a Change

For a change, let us remember the more than 11,000 Palestinian prisoners currently being held in Israeli captivity. If collectively, they had as much news coverage as Gilad Shalit, maybe they would have been released by now, or the numbers would be significantly smaller, as the pressure to release them would be equivalent to the campaigns to release Gilad Shalit.

Being that a few days ago was Gilad Shalit’s “capture anniversary”, we can’t help but hear stories after stories about it on mainstream media outlets. For a change, let us remember the more than 11,000 Palestinian prisoners currently being held in Israeli captivity. If collectively, they had as much news coverage as Gilad Shalit, maybe they would have been released by now, or the numbers would be significantly smaller, as the pressure to release them would be equivalent to the campaigns to release Gilad Shalit. To everyone that knows they exist (including most Palestine solidarity workers), they are just a number.

But, here are some names for a change. Let’s remember them, because if we know Gilad Shalit’s name, we owe it to the Palestinians to learn several of the ones below, that are beloved to them and missed by them. Note that the ones listed below are a mere fraction of the numbers in captivity.

Most of the names of these prisoners have been gathered from various websites and sources, ranging from the Israeli Ministry of Public Security official website, which deals with issues of administrative detention and Palestinian prisoners, to human rights groups, including Addameer, Sumoud, and others. The names of all the prisoners listed, especially those of women and children, have been double checked with other sources, mainly UN reports and Palestinian prisoners online forums, for verification. There are also at least 25 cases of infants under two years of age being detained as well. Most of the prisoners live in appalling conditions and are subject to torture on a regular basis, and many human rights organizations are not permitted access to most of the prisons in which they are held. Of all the prisons run by Israel, Facility 1391 is by far the worst and is known by Palestinians (and Israeli human rights groups as) “the Israeli Guantanamo” but it is in fact worse, since it served as the blueprint on which Guantanamo, Abu Ghraib, and Bagram prisons are based.

It is also imperative to note that these are roughly only 200 names, when in fact there are over 11,000 in Israeli prisons. Unfortunately, there is no transparency, and the names of these prisoners remain elusive due to the nature of their imprisonment. No human rights organizations or governmental organizations have access to all of the names and identities of these Palestinians. Although they may be erased from our regular world, we will not forget their existence or let them fall through the pages of history.